Bambi
by Veronica.Hale
Summary: There is only one girl that can get Daryl Dixon to soften up. He calls her Bambi and she is his and only his, but when the world ends things begin to change. Forced to stay with a group they have no trust for. Little Bambi's sweet and trusting nature might just be the thing to kill her.
1. One

There is only one girl that can soften the tough and dangerous Daryl Dixon. He calls her Bambi and she is everything to him. How they met wasn't a fairy tale. Emily Dixon, precisely Morison, was the sweetest girl in the world and shyer than anyone else you could meet. It is her easily trusting attitude that is always her biggest weakness. She always trusted everyone and everyone always betrays her. She fell in love with a man who promised her the world, but instead all she got was pain. Daryl Dixon was nobody but a redneck white trash man, but to Emily, he is her angel. When Thomas got to mean it was Daryl that saved her from his beating. He was the one who helped Emily get free from the evil man.

Daryl nearly beat Thomas to death and probably would have if the police didn't show up. After that night Daryl took care of Emily because she was his Bambi. She was sweet, innocent, and trusted too easily. She was shy and timid, but she is someone you can always count on and call a friend. Emily and Daryl got married a year after they met. He couldn't give her any riches and fancy clothes, but she didn't need any of that. His love was enough for her. His love would always be enough for her. He and Emily were more alike than people would expect. Both had their fair share of abuse except Emily received it because she trusted too easily, while Daryl was born into just a bad family.

Daryl swore the day he met his Bambi that he would protect her with his life and he has kept that promise. She even got along with Daryl's sexist, racist, pig of a brother. She didn't have a mean bone in her body and it didn't take Merle long to back off with his piggish ways and be nice to Emily, as nice as Merle Dixon can be.

A few years after Daryl and his Bambi's marriage came James Dixon. The perfect baby boy had his father wrapped around his finger the minute he was born. James, better known as Jami, had Daryl's looks and Emily's Bambi personality, minus the shyness. Jami and Bambi were everything to Daryl. Now, twenty years old, almost twenty one he keeps reminding his father, Jami has become a good kid. He went to school to be a police officer, something his uncle almost fainted upon hearing. He had been working in Atlanta since he graduated. He eventually moved to the city, something both his parents were sad to happen.

Now, however, everything from before is different. Just two months ago Daryl and Emily were comfortable home together, hearing from their son every day and hunting once a week. They were happy, but now everything has changed. A disease has spread through the world. It started off as nothing, but a cold, but now it is an epidemic that has killed millions if not billions. Those who are alive are fighting to stay alive from those who have died. From the walkers.

Emily and Daryl managed to get Jami safely out of the city and now the three, plus Merle, reside within a group just out of the city. Daryl doesn't trust any of them, but he also isn't selfish enough to let them die. He gives them apart of his kill every time he comes back from hunting. He even skins and guts them for them.

Today is a hot sunny day and Jami is at the camp by himself with the group. His parents went hunting together while Merle went to the city with some others for a supply run. Jami knows neither group is going to be too successful. With his parents, they got easily distracted. Jami loves that his parents are still deeply in love, but even a glance from the other can make both forget the world and slip into their own world. They probably won't come back with much more than squirrel. It's the first time the two have been alone since they joined the group, so Jami can only imagine they're going to be gone for awhile and come back with not much to show for it. They've been gone since yesterday, Merle left this morning. Merle is a mean bastard and Jami can only imagine that he is causing hell in Atlanta. Jami's father probably will have to do damage control when he gets back to camp.

Right now Jami is cleaning off his hunting knife. Jami has two main weapons, his recurve bow and arrows, and his pistol. His pistol is tucked in the waistband behind him, while his quiver, which normally is on his back, is sitting beside him. The quiver is made of a dark brown leather and inside are arrows with red feathers and made of mahogany wood. His recurve bow is made of strong black metal that is also very light and the handle of his bow is made of the same metal, red to match the arrows. His bow is resting inside his quiver, there's a slot going down the back of the quiver which is for his bow. His hunting knife is more of a tool and he keeps it clipped to the right side of his bands in its leather holder.

Jami is dressed in a pair of jeans, his boots, and a muscle shirt. Sweat gleamed over his muscles in his arms and back. His dark short brown hair stuck to his head and dripped in sweat, his blue eyes seem to shine against his tan skin. He had just finished chopping some wood for the camp and now he's sitting in the shade by his tent for some time to cool down.

Jami tests his knife before putting it beside him and taking a big gulp of water from the bottle beside him. He fills a handful of the water and runs it through his sweaty hair, getting it to be less gross. The camp members all clean themselves down by the pond, in a section hidden from the sight of others, but Jami was going to wait until tonight to clean up because he still had the rest of the day to get sweaty all over again.

He runs his fingers through his hair, causing it to spike up. He grabs his knife and goes back to sharpening in. "Hey, Jami?" Jami looks over to see Amy Harrison standing there with a bucket in her hands. Amy is a year younger than Jami. She's pretty, but she is a city girl all the way through. Her idea of the country life is fishing, which isn't really all that country because a lot of people do it, not just the country people. Today she is dressed in a bright pink tank top and equally bright white skinny jeans. She didn't have a clue about dirt, Jami is almost certain that she's terrified of it. But she is pretty like stated before. She has blonde hair, which fell just past her shoulder in straight silk and light blue eyes behind pale porcelain skin. She is pretty, but Jami would never go for her. If she weren't apart of this safe camp, she'd probably end up dead within seconds. She has zero sense of survival. "Jami?"

"Hmm?" Jami asks, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Do you know anything about mushrooms?" Amy asks with a smile on her lips. Jami forces himself not to sigh. She's a nice girl, but she is always coming over to Jami asking him about whatever she is currently doing. Apparently, today is mushrooms. Jami thinks she just uses it as an excuse to talk to him.

"Yeah." Jami says motioning her over. Despite the frustration she brings Jami he's too nice to turn her away. He's not shy like his mom, more quiet and reserved like his dad, but he'd still go out of his way to help people. He has the patience of a saint to deal with the talkative Amy.

"So, Jami, your mom mentioned you were a police officer before this."

"Mhm." Jami nods as he sorts through the mushrooms.

"In Atlanta right?"

"Yeah, for a year."

"Why didn't you go with the others to the city? I mean, you clearly know your way around it."

"I know how to get from my old apartment to the cafe I always ate at, the grocery store, and my work. I know how to get where I needed. I don't know the city." He tells her as he throws out the bad mushrooms.

"Oh." Amy says as she nods. "So what was it like being a cop?" Jami shrugs as he glances over at her.

"Simple really. I was just starting, so I was more the writing tickets cop."

"Oh." Jami returns his focus on the bucket. "So, did you have a girlfriend." Her sudden question surprises Jami.

"What-ow, shit." Jami hisses as he slices his finger right on the broken plastic of the bucket. Blood runs down his finger, causing Amy's eyes to widen.

"Oh, are you okay." Jami pulls out a rag from his back pocket and pushes down on his finger.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a-"

"I'll go get the first aid kit."

"Cut..." Jami trails off as Amy runs off. He closes his eyes and sighs trying to stay patient.

"You okay, kid?" Jami glances over to see Dale walking over.

"Yeah, just a cut."

"Amy made it seem like you were showing bone." Jami sighs and pulls back the rag.

"It's nothing serious. Just a small cut. The bleeding already stop."

"Looks kind of deep might need stitches just to make sure it doesn't get infected."

"It really isn't that big of a deal." Jami tells him as Dale sits down beside him.

"I just want to make sure." Dale says as he grabs Jami's hand. "It's deep kid, it would only take an hour for an infected. Just sit tight." Dale says as he opens the first aid. Jami sighs but doesn't argue as he lets Dale get the needle ready to stitch. If it was one thing Jami hated it was people fussing over him. He gets it from his father. He rather takes care of himself than to have others worrying about him.

Jami doesn't even flinch as Dale starts to stitch his finger up. "Are you okay, Jami?" Amy asks, with clear worry in her eyes. Jami fights back a groan as he looks up at her.

"I'm fine, really, Amy." Amy naws on her bottom lip as she watches Dale work.

"I should have warned you the bucket was sharp by the top. It broke a while back, but-"

"Amy, really, I'm fine. Just a cut." Dale finishes and cleans up.

"Alright, you're good, kid." Dale says, causing Jami to nod.

"Thanks, Dale, you didn't have to worry so much, it's just a cut."

"Sure, kid." Dale smiles as he pats Jami's shoulder and starts back towards his RV.

"Let me see." Amy sits down and grabs Jami's hand before he could stop her. "It looks red."

"Amy, I'm fine." He says as he slips his hand away from her. "Serious, I'm totally okay." Amy pouts as she looks at it from where she sits.

"I shouldn't have distracted you."

"Amy, I'm fine. I promise." Amy looks at Jami and smiles.

"Okay." Jami picks the bucket back up and begins to finish the task Amy gave him, wanting to get it done and over with so Amy wouldn't sit here fussing over him any longer. "You never answered my questioned." Jami cursed inside his head, his eyes remaining on the bucket.

"What question?" Jami asked in hops of her dropping it.

"Did you have a girlfriend back in the city?"

"No." Jami tells her as he finishes with the mushrooms. "All set. I should probably-"

"Why didn't you have a girlfriend?" Amy asks. "I figured you would."

"I was focused on work more than my social life."

"What about now?" Jami keeps himself calm as he looks at Amy. He really just wished she could get the hint.

"Now, I'm focused on not getting killed." He tells her. "I should get back to helping the camp. Here's your mushrooms." He says as he hands the bucket over and walks off.

"Thanks, Jami!" He takes a deep breath and keeps walking.


	2. Two

Emily smiles as she jumps onto Daryl's back. "Woah, hey, Bambi." Daryl grunts as he steadies himself to keep from falling from Emily's weight. He holds Emily's legs to keep her from falling. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting a piggyback ride." Emily smiles as she kisses Daryl's neck. Daryl groans as she nips his neck.

"We need to be hunting this deer." He tells her as her hands move to his chest.

"We have time."

"Bambi-"

"Baby, stop talking." She whispers in his ear as her hands undo the buckles of his pants before she slides her hands inside his jeans.

"Fuck, Bambi." He grunts as she cups him through his boxers.

"You already hard for me." Daryl closes his eyes, trying to resist his Bambi, but he finds himself moaning when she slips her hands into his boxers. The thing about his Bambi is that she is shy and timid around people she isn't comfortable, but when to Daryl and her in bed she is wild and feisty. She's not afraid to let herself go animalistic over Daryl and Daryl more times not lets her because she is extremely hard to resist when she is like this.

"Fuck it." Daryl drops her to the ground and pins her to a tree, his lips on hers in seconds. Emily grins and grinds against Daryl. All of Daryl's resistance is gone and he is already working on getting Emily's shirt off her.

"Knew you couldn't resist me." She whispers in his ear before pushing him back. He stumbles and falls on his ass.

"Damn, Bambi." He says as he rubs his head. She walks towards him like a tiger stalking her prey. Daryl licks his lips as he watches Emily. Emily kneels down and kisses him, her hands pulling his jeans and boxers off him. "You're going to get dirty, Bambi." He whispers in her ear. "Fucking in the dirt isn't-"

"What if I want to get dirty, Daryl?" She asks, her fingers running over his length, causing Daryl to shiver. "What if I want you to get me all dirty, Daryl?" Daryl groans Emily moves down his body.

"Fuck, Bambi." He groans as Emily takes his entire length into his mouth. "Fuck." He hisses as he feels her hot wet mouth on him. His eyes roll into the back of his head as she starts to bob her head as she sucks on him lick a tasty lollipop. Daryl's fingers get tangled into Emily's hair, pulling on it, causing her to moan. She pulls off just before Daryl can climax. He stares at her with half-lidded eyes, panting, sweating, and shaking from her. "You're going to kill me." He groans, causing her to smile.

"Undress." She orders as she kicks her boots off and pulls her jeans off her. Daryl kicks his boots off and pushes his jeans and boxers off the rest of him as he pulls his shirt over his head. Most would think Daryl is the dominant one in the bedroom, but it has always been Emily and Daryl is more than fine with it. He would never tell Merle that, but he loves Emily taking charge. Outside the bedroom, Emily is always so shy and timid, but inside she is a whole other animal and it drives Daryl off the walls. There's only one word to describe Emily, Bambi. She is shy, sweet, and timid on the outside, but once you're alone with her she is a wild animal.

Emily gets on her hands and knees and Daryl moves behind her. When it comes to sex Daryl learned real quick that sweet and gentle gets Emily wanting to kick you in the balls. She likes it hard and rough. Daryl doesn't bother with foreplay, he knows she hates it. He slams into her, causing her to moan. He lifts her ass up higher as she bends over move. He pulls in and out fast and rough, not giving her time to adjust. Emily claws at the dirt as she moans, begging for more. Daryl slaps her ass, causing her to cry his name.

The only sound that fills the forest is the sound of skin slapping skin, their moans and groans, and the sound of Daryl slapping Emily's ass. "Oh, harder, Daryl." Emily cries as feels closer to the edge. Daryl grunts, sweat running down him like a shower as he goes harder on Emily. "Fuck, Daryl, more." Daryl's nails dig into her hips as he works her harder. He flips them around and pulls Emily onto his lap. She moves down on him quickly, digging her nails into his back as he thrusts up into her. Emily bites and sucks all over Daryl's neck, marking him as hers. Daryl knows better than to hide those when they get back. Emily takes pleasure in other women seeing the marks she leaves behind. All her marks are always visible and if Daryl hides them Emily isn't happy. "Daryl!" She screams as she comes. Daryl grunts as he works harder, his thrusts getting sloppy as he explodes inside her.

"Fuck!" He grunts as he buries his face in her neck. Their bodies are shaking from the high they are coming down from. Neither move, wanting to remain close for a few minutes longer. Daryl remains buried inside her until she stands up on shaky legs.

"We should get back to hunting." Daryl laughs as he looks up at her.

"Bambi, I think your screams scared away all the animals." She giggles as she begins to get dressed. Her ass red from his slapping. Daryl moves up behind her, his arms wrapping around her. "God damn I love you." He whispers as he kisses her neck. Emily sighs and lean against him.

"I love you too, Daryl." He pulls away and grabs his clothes. Emily pulls her sticky sweaty hair up into a bun, trying to cool down after all that.

"You got some dirt right here." Emily grins as she wipes some dirt off his neck.

"Darling, I'm covered in dirt and so are you, you little minx." She giggles before jumping into Daryl's arms.

"So what's the harm of going again." Daryl groans into her neck, his hands on her ass.

"I should have brought Jami hunting instead." He mumbles, causing Emily to giggle.

"I say we do it against the tree this time." Daryl pulls away and looks up at her.

"You're going to be the death of me."


	3. Three

Jami has finished his work for the day, so he is down by the creek washing off al the dirt and grime from the day. He holds his breath as he goes under the water, running a hand through his hair. He grabs the shampoo, lathering it into his hair to get all the sweat and grossness out of it before washing the shampoo out. He grabs the conditioner, using only a little for his short hair to make it soft and shiny. Jami has a bad habit of running his hand through his hair, so he likes it to be soft and smooth when he does it. The shiny part is just an added bonus. He washes it out and soaps up before climbing out of the water. He didn't like spending more time than he needed in the water. He uses the towel he brought to dry off before slipping into a fresh pair of jeans and a fresh muscle shirt. He slips his socks and boots on, grabs his things, and makes his way back to camp just as he hears the sound of a car alarm blaring through the air. "What the fuck?" He whispers as he drops his stuff off by the RV and joins the crowd to see what is going on.

"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asks in a panicky voice. Jami looks up at the sun with a frown. It has been a very long time since they've been gone. Too long.

"What did I miss?" Jami asks Amy.

"The group radioed us saying they were trapped in a store in Atlanta." Jami frowns and looks up at Dale.

"Must be them coming back now." Jami says as Amy takes his hand. He lets her know she needed comfort. Her sister went to Atlanta and Jami can only assume Amy is freaking out and imagining the worst. "Dale?!" Jami calls up. "What do you see?!"

"What is it?" Amy asks.

"A stolen car is my guess." Dale tells them as a red sports car drives up. Glenn hops out with a big smile on his face, causing Jami to chuckle. Glenn is an Asian man, close in age to Jami and the age is the reason Jami and Glenn became friends. There aren't many people their age in camp, so the two quickly became friends over time. Despite Merle hatred for nonDixons and especially nonwhite people Jami and Glenn are best friends. Neither car that one is an Asian and the other is a Dixon.

"Hey, Glenn." Jami calls as he moves to the driver side of the car.

"Holy crap. Turn that damn thing off!" Dale yells.

"I don't know how!" Glenn yells as Jami pops the hood and goes and opens it.

"My sister, Andrea, is she okay?!" Amy yells to Glenn as Jami looks for the cord for the horn.

"What?"

"Is she okay? Is she alright?" Jami unplugs the cord, causing the car to fall silent.

"Got it." Jami says, causing Dale to give him an appreciative nod.

"Yeah yeah, she's okay! She's okay!" Glenn yells at Amy, tired of hearing her yelling at him.

"Is she coming back?" Glenn gives Jami a look, causing Jami to grin in understanding.

"Yes!" Glenn yells.

"Why isn't she with you? Where is she? She's okay?"

"Yes!" Glenn screams at her. "Yeah, fine. Everybody is." Glenn's eyes meet Jami. "Well, Merle not so much."

"What do you mean Merle not so much?" Jami asks.

"I'll explain it to you later, promise." Glenn says, causing Jami to frown before nodding.

"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here?" Shane asks, his voice as cold as ice. Jami narrows his eyes at Shane, he never liked him. Ever since Jami came here Shane has given him a bad feeling. Sure Shane helped make the group as successful as it is now, but Jami doesn't trust him. Especially after he saw Jami's mother.

-Flashback-

Emily giggles as she walks with Daryl back from checking the traps. He has hickeys all over his neck and he's fighting back a smile. Merle glances over and chuckles as he sees Daryl's neck and Emily's not so innocent grin. Jami rolls his eyes as he gives a disgusted look at his parents. "You guys act like bunnies in heat." Merle bursts into laughter as he looks at Jami. He slaps Jami on the back in a way to say Jami was funny.

Emily blushes as Daryl gives his son a look. Her eyes move away from Jami to Shane, who stood a couple of yards away, eyeing her over. His eyes meet hers and he smiles, but the smile he gives her sends chills down her spine. She wraps her arm around Daryl, moving closer to Daryl's side self consciously, causing Daryl to look at his suddenly scared wife. "You okay?" He whispers, she looks at Daryl and nods. Jami turns and sees Shane staring at Jami's parents, causing Jami to frown. He didn't like the look he was giving them.

Daryl wraps his arm protectively around Emily before moving and sitting by Jami. Jami stares at Shane as he moves closer to his mother so that he and his father were on either side of her, keeping her safe.

-End of Flashback-

Jami swallows the lump in his throat as he moves further away from Shane. "Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" Shane asks Glenn.

"I think we're okay." Dale tells Shane as he looks away.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane snaps.

"Shane back off." Jami says. "The sound was bouncing off the hills left and right. There's no way anyone could pinpoint the location it came from especially walkers who don't think. We're fine."

"Kid's right." Dale nods. "The alarm was echoing all over these hills." Shane gives Dale and Jami a cold look. "We're not arguing. We're just saying. It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" Dale asks Glenn.

"Sorry." Glenn says before smiling. "Got a cool car." Jami grins as he leans against the said car.

A cube van pulls up and people begin to get out. "Amy!" Andrea calls as she walks over.

"Andrea!" Amy runs over to her sister and they embrace.

"Let's go talk." Jami tells Glenn as he bumps into him. Glenn nods and the two move away from the camp to talk. "What happened?"

"Your uncle... he kind of acted out." Jami sighs and leans against the tree as he looks at Glenn.

"What did he do?"

"Almost killed T-Dog."

"Is he okay?"

"Got beat up pretty bad, but he'll be okay."

"What happened afterward?"

"New guy handcuffed him to a radiator."

"Wait, you left him there?" Jami asks, suddenly aware of what is going on.

"We tried to get him out of there, but T-Dog dropped the key in the drain and couldn't help him. Look, Jami, the place was overrun. We barely got out of there alive. We didn't have time to get Merle out."

"My dad is going to be pissed." Jami says, causing Glenn to nod.

"I know. Look, Jami, I really am sorry. You know I wouldn't have left him there on purpose." Jami sighs before nodding.

"I know."

"Are you James Dixon?" Jami glances over to see a new guy walking over. He must be the one who handcuffed Merle.

"I go by Jami."

"Did Glenn tell you?" Jami crosses his arms and leans against the tree.

"Yup."

"Look, I really am sorry about your uncle. But you have to understand-"

"I understand. I knew Merle all my life. I know how he is. I don't hate you for what you did. I probably would have done the same if I were in your shoes. But it's not me you have to get to understand. When my dad gets back he will be angry. He has a short fuse, just like my uncle. Normally my mom can keep him calm, but something like this... You're going to have your hands full when he gets back, so be prepared." Jami tells him before pushing off the three. "You're in deep trouble when my parents get back."


	4. Four

Jami is standing by Glenn as they take apart the car. "Look at 'em." Glenn says as Rick comes up and joins them. "Vultures." Jami snickers as he looks at him. "Yeah, go on, strip it clean."

"Generators need every drop of fuel they can get." Dale defends as he walks by. "Got no power without it. Sorry, Glenn."

"Could be worst, Glenn."

"Oh, yeah, how, Jami?"

"You could have been walker food." Glenn looks at Jami and nods.

"You got me there." He pulls something out of his pocket. "Here, got you something in the city." Jami takes it and looks at it to see a good side package of Reece's peanut butter cups minis and a new knife sharpener.

"Thanks, Glenn."

"You were complaining about your old knife sharpener not being that good anymore, this one is basically new." Jami eyes it over before nodding.

"Yeah, it should work fine, thanks." Glenn nods.

"And you said Reece's are your favorite so."

"Again, thanks. You outdid yourself." Jami pops one of the Reece's in his mouth before holding the package out to Glenn. Glenn takes one and puts it in his mouth.

"I at least thought I'd get to drive it a few more days." Glenn tells Rick as he turns to him, having finished his candy.

"Maybe we'll get to steal another one someday." Glenn nods as he takes another one from Jami.

"Between the two of us, we'll have this gone by this afternoon." Jami grins and pops another in his mouth.

"More like in ten minutes." Glenn laughs and takes another.

"We should save them because we might not get anymore." Glenn says, causing Jami to nod before putting both the candy and sharpener in his back pockets. Shane drives up with his jeep filled with barrels of water soon after.

"Water's here, y'all." Shane calls, causing them to look towards Shane. "Just a reminder to boil before use."

"Come on." Glenn says before leading Jami over. The two grab the two large barrels and pull them out of the jeep.

They bring them over to where they belong, while the others come to grab the rest. Jami jumps as he hears a scream. "What the hell?"

"Mom!" Jami hears Carl, the son of Rick's screaming.

"Come on." Jami says as he grabs his quiver and bow from his tent before heading after the others into the woods.

"Dad!"

"Baby!" Lori, Rick's wife, yells.

"Mama! Mommy!" Sophia screams.

Jami runs through the woods as fast as he can with his bow in his hands. Jami runs as Carl comes over. "You okay?" Jami asks as Carl nods shakily. Lori and Rick run over, causing Jami to nod at them before heading further into the woods to see what scared the kid so badly. The others follow and they find a walker munching on a deer. Jami holds up a hand, signaling them to stop. Jami pulls out an arrow slowly and quietly and loading it just as Amy gasps from behind him.

"Amy." Jami hisses just as the walker stands up and heads towards them. Jami focuses and fires, causing the walker to fall to the ground, an arrow right through its skull.

"Come on." Andrea leads Amy away as Jami walks over to the dead walker. He shoots it once more just to make sure before pulling out his arrows.

"Good shot." Rick says in surprise.

"Thanks." Jami wipes off the arrows and puts them into his quiver.

"It's the first one we've had up here." Dale tells them as Jami eyes over the deer that has the bolts sticking out of it. Jami's eyes widen before he looks at the woods. He knows who deer this is and he also knows that his dad will be not in a good mood when he comes back. When he finds out about Merle he'll be even worst. "They never come this far up the mountain." Dale continues.

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what." Jim tells them. All their heads snap up as they hear footsteps and branches breaking. Jami already knows who it is. He can hear the two different footsteps, one softer than the other.

The others ready their weapons as Daryl and Emily walk around a rock. They pause when they see everyone. "Oh, Jesus." Shane groans as Daryl takes in the deer laying on the ground munched on.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl snaps as he storms past Shane. Emily sighs and follows after him. Jami almost laughs as he sees Rick taking in Jami's parents. They both were covered in dirt as if they rolled in it, which Jami is sure probably happened, and Daryl's neck is covered in deep purple hickies and his arms have small scratches down them. Jami rolls his eyes as he catches his mother's look. The look that said proudly that she caused those marks on Daryl.

"That's my deer." Jami's dad exclaims as he looks at it and the walker. "Look at it. All gnawed on by this... filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" Daryl growls as he kicks the walker. Emily grabs Daryl's hand and pulls him away from the walker.

"Daryl, that isn't going to change anything." She tells him in a quiet and sweet voice. He glances at her before looking at the deer.

"We've been tracking this deer for miles." Daryl tells them, his fingers intertwining with Emily. The only time the group sees a soft side of Daryl is towards Emily and Jami. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison." He pulls the bolts out as Emily rests her head on his arm. "What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" Daryl asks, pointing to the spot and look towards Emily.

"Well I won't be eating it." Emily says. "I'm not risking it." Daryl frowns and looks back at the deer.

"That's a damn shame." He says, causing Emily to nod in agreement. "I got us some squirrel-about a dozen or so." Daryl tells them as he motions to the string of squirrel he has. "That'll have to do." Daryl says as he starts for camp, leading Emily with him. Jami follows after his parents, causing Emily to let go of Daryl's hand and wraps an arm around Jami.

"Hey, kiddo, how have you been without us?" She asks as they walk.

"Okay." He says as he pulls away.

"What? Don't want affection from your mother?" Jami wrinkles his nose and looks up at his mom.

"You smell like sex." He says with a gross face as he moves away. Emily giggles and hurries after to Daryl to catch up.

Rick gives Jami a look, causing him to shrug. Glenn laughs causing Jami to push him. Glenn pushes Jami back, causing the two to laugh.

Emily smiles as she holds Daryl's hand, the two walking through camp. "Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here!" Daryl shouts as Emily glances around. She frowns as she notices the group looking at them worriedly. Normally the group isn't this tense and uneasy. "I got us some squirrel!" Daryl continues, not having notice what his wife noticed. Daryl pauses to put his crossbow down. "Let's stew 'em up." Emily's eyes scan the group to find them all huddled together. Something was wrong and Emily could sense it.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane says, causing Emily to pause in her walking, causing Daryl to stop walking. He turns around and looks at Shane as the group creates a circle around them, causing them to be cornered. Emily's hand tightens on Daryl's, her mind assuming the worst.

"About what?" Daryl asks, sounding as if he too is starting to get the same sense as Emily is getting.

"About Merle." Emily squeezes Daryl's hand, trying to ease the worry and tension off of him. "There was a... There was a problem in Atlanta." Emily looks up at Daryl with worried eyes.

Daryl's looks around them, slowly going on the defense. "He dead?" Emily's eyes met her son's as he mouths, 'bad'. She swallowed the lump in her throat and looks at Daryl. Whatever they are going to say Emily knows Daryl won't be happy about.

"We're not sure." That's the worst thing Shane could tell Daryl. Emily's nails bite into Daryl's hands, a warning for him to be calm.

"Shane, just tell us what happened." Emily says, trying to keep Daryl calm.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it." The couple turns as Rick walks towards them.

"Who are you?" Daryl asks.

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes, you got something you want to tell me?"

"Daryl, be calm, baby." Emily whispers so only he can hear. Daryl squeezes her hand, letting her know he'll try.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

"Hold on. Let me process this." Daryl says as Emily looks at Daryl worried.

"Baby, please, stay calm." Emily whispers to him.

"You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof? And you left him there?!" Daryl yells, causing Emily to dig her nails into Daryl, causing blood to start flowing.

"Yeah." It was like slow motion for Emily. She slowly felt Daryl let her hand go, signaling he's not staying calm for her. He throws his squirrels at Rick, who dodges them, and he runs at Rick only for Shane to knock him down. It all took no more than a minute, but to Emily, it was like watching a car crash happen in very slow motion.

She only came back to what was happen when she hears T-Dog's alarm scream. "Watch the knife." Emily quickly moves back knowing what Daryl always used to tell her. If he ever got this angry do not get in the middle of it because Daryl won't be able to control his anger. Emily stands by Jami, holding his hand.

"Let your dad handle this." She whispers to him as she watches Shane grab Daryl in a chokehold.

"You'd best let me go!" Daryl yells.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't."

"Mom..." Jami whispers, slight worry in his tone.

"Let your dad handle this, Jami. It'll be okay." Jami glances at her before looking at his father.

"Chokehold's illegal." Daryl grunts.

"Hey, file a complain." Shane tells him as he gets him to the ground. "Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day."

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?" Daryl doesn't answer, his eyes finding Emily's. "Do you think we can manage that?"

'Please' She mouths to Daryl, her eyes pleading for him to just calm down and listen to the man. Daryl nods against Shane, causing Emily to sigh in relief. Shane lets Daryl go, causing him to fall to the ground panting.

"What I did was not on a whim." Rick continues to say to Daryl. "Your brother does not work and play well with others."

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key." Emily's eyes snap over to T-Dog and frowns. She's not racist or sexist like the Dixons, she's too sweet for that, but she knows Daryl grew up knowing to be racist and sexist, he can't help it, it was how he was raised and T-Dog getting involved might not be a good idea. "I dropped it."

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl snaps.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain." Daryl scoffs, closing his eyes as if trying to gain some calmness and patience.

Emily walks over and holds out a hand, causing Daryl to glance up at him. She gives him a soothing smile, one only she can give. It calms Daryl down and he takes her hand, allowing her to help him up. "If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." Daryl says as he holds Emily's hand in his and starts walking past T-Dog.

"Well, maybe this will." Emily pulls on Daryl's arm, causing him to stop walking. She looks at T-dog and nods for him to continue. "Look, I chained the door to the roof, so the geeks couldn't get at him... with a padlock."

"It's gotta count for something." Rick says. Emily wraps an arm around Daryl's arm, trying to get him relaxed.

"Just tell me where he is so's I can go get him."

"He'll show you." Lori says, causing Emily to glance at her. "Isn't that right?"

"I'm going back." Rick agrees as he looks around before looking at Daryl and Emily.

"Let's go, Bambi." Daryl grumbles before leading her off.


	5. Five

AN: Here's another chapter, sorry for the long wait. I want you guys to vote who you want Jami to be with.

A. Amy, B. Beth, C. Glenn, D. Another OC

Let me know what you guys want and depending on how many I get for each I'll decide.

* * *

Emily runs her hands over Daryl's shoulder, rubbing and soothing the tense muscles. Merle was a real bastard, but Emily wasn't one for killing unless absolutely necessary. "You okay, hon?" Emily asks as she places a kiss just below his ear She felt a shiver run through his body, causing her to grin. "Want me to help ease the tension from you?" Daryl pulls away, causing her to frown. He grabs her and pulls her onto his lap.

"Not now, Emily." He didn't call her by her real name too often. She places a hand on his cheek and forces him to look at her.

"He's going to be okay, Daryl. Everything will be okay. I promise."

"You can't promise that."

"Daryl, what is it you always tell me?" She asks as she runs a hand through his hair. "That'll you protect me no matter what?" He hums in response. "Well, let me do the same."

"I don't need protection." Emily bites her lip.

"Maybe you do." He turns and looks at her. "Merle's going to cause hell when you get him back. I don't want you to receive his punishment. You're a good man, Daryl, don't let him ruin you."

"He's blood, Emily." His words are sharp enough to cause Emily to flinch. "Em…" Daryl frowns, guilt and regret slipping into his eyes. "I didn't mean to snap."

"I know. But blood doesn't always make a family, Daryl. I'm not blood, but I know you'd do anything for me just as I would for you. Love and friendship make a family, Daryl. Just promise you'll remember that." Daryl brushes her hair off her shoulder.

"I promise, Bambi. I love you." She moves and kisses him.

"I love you more than anything, Daryl. Please make it back safely. Don't forget you have a family here as well."

"I'm going to have Jami stay with you. I don't want you alone here." He leans down and gives her a soft kiss. "But are you going to be okay being away from me for a few hours?" Emily grins as she runs a hand down his chest.

"Yeah, I'll have a girl day." Daryl raises an eyebrow. "I like Carol, she's nice, and it'll give me plenty of time to catch up on the laundry. You boys tend to keep me busy." Daryl grins, pulling her closer to him.

"I'll keep you busy all night when I get back." He whispers in her ear, causing a shiver of pleasure to run through her.

"You better." She purs.

"I promise, Bambi." He leans down and kisses her.

"Well, look I-I don't, okay, Rick?" Emily pulls away from Daryl as she watches Shane and Rick heading towards them. "So could you just-Could you throw me a bone here, man?" Daryl rolls his eyes and set to cleaning his bolts. "Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" Jami turns to look back at them as he hears Shane.

"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl snaps, pointing his bolt at Shane.

"No, I did. Douche bag's what I meant." Jami scoffs at the pure arrogance coming from Shane. Emily runs a hand through, Daryl's hair. He needed a bath, he was filthy, but so was she. "Merle Dixon." Emily didn't like the way he said her brother-in-law's name. He said it as if it was the filthiest thing in the world. Merle wasn't perfect, but he's blood like Daryl said. "The guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. **I** can't let a man die of thirst-me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." Emily looks at Rick as he spoke. He wasn't like Shane. He was a good man, Emily could see it. He was selfless and kindhearted even to those who probably don't deserve it.

Rick turns to go when his wife spoke up. "So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Jami goes to step forward, but a look from his father stops him in his tracks. Rick turns to Glenn then, causing Jami's eyes to shoot over to Glenn. Glenn was his friend. He didn't want him going into the city and getting himself killed.

"Oh, come on." Glenn sighs.

"You know the way. You've been there before. In and out, no problem. You said so yourself."

"Well, that was dumb of you." Jami mutters as he bites his thumb. Glenn shoots him a glare before looking back at Rick.

"It's not fair of me to ask, I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too." Rick says as he motions to Lori.

"Yeah and I'd feel better if Jami came with." Glenn gave Jami a look knowing Jami would back him up. Jami's eyes met his dad who gave a pointed look to Emily.

"Sorry, bud, ain't going on this one. Already got one too many Dixon in the city." Glenn sighs and lets his head fall as Jami says this.

"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men, huh?"

"Four." Daryl and Emily look over towards T-Dog who spoke up.

"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl scoffs, causing Emily to hit his arm.

"Stop it." She whispered quietly. "You should consider yourself lucky that he's volunteering."

"Your wife's right. You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" Daryl glances at Emily before looking at T-Dog.

"Why you?"

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

"That's four." Dale pipes up.

"It's not just four. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick."

"Should have thought about that before leaving my uncle in the city." Jami speaks up, earning a glare from Shane.

"Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp."

"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns."

"Right, the guns." Jami raises an eyebrow at Glenn.

"You've been holding out on me, Glenn?" Jami asks, nudging Glenn.

"Wait. What guns?" Shane asks.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left." The camp falls silent as Rick tells them that. They can all agree that those guns are essential for their survival. "I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street waiting to be picked up."

"Ammo?"

"700 rounds, assorted."

"You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Emily never liked Lori. Sure she could understand why Lori didn't want Rick to leave, but Emily would never tell Daryl not to do what he believes is the right thing. She also probably would never sleep with another man because her heart belongs to Daryl alone, but that is a whole thing.

"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl says and Emily could clearly see how hard it was for Rick to not give in. Jami was also like Emily. Even if he was worried about his dad, he still wouldn't hold him back, but again, Emily could accept Carl's plea because he is still a boy.

"To hell with the guns. Shane is right." Emily rolls her eyes as Lori says this. She was siding with the lover over the husband if only Rick knew this. "Merle Dixon?" Emily felt Daryl's hands grip harder to her. He was getting angry and Emily was close to following along with him. "He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in."

"But it'd be different if it was Shane or Rick?" Emily asks, causing the camp to look at her. "He's human, good or bad, he ain't being left there." Rick looks at Emily before looking at Lori, who stands up.

"Tell me. Make me understand."

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy." Lori looks at Carl as if he is enough of an excuse. Emily learned real fast by knowing Daryl that you pay your debts. End of the world or not. "Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."

"What's stopping you?"

"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."

"These are our walkies?" Shane asks. This Jami was familiar with. Most of the police in Atlanta had these old walkies that never connected to anything beside each other.

"Are these walkies the ones from the 70s?" Jami asks.

"The very same." Shane huffs.

"So use the C.B. What's wrong with that?" Andrea spoke up.

"The C.B.s fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap. As Jami said, date back to the '70s don't match any other bandwidth-"

"Not even the scanners in our cars." Rick says as he looks at Jami. "How'd you know about them?"

"Used the same ones in Atlanta." Jami spoke up, biting his thumb once more. "They were a pain in the ass."

"I need that bag." Rick speaks up again. Rick moves down to Carl. "Okay?" Carl gives him a nod after a long moment. "Alright." Rick says before everyone begins to get ready.

"You need to lose that tension before you go to Atlanta." Emily whispers in Daryl's ear. "I don't want you losing your temper while you're there. It blinds you and makes you not think clearly."

"Emily-"

"Come on, you need a bath." She whispers, nipping his ear. He huffs but allows her to pull him and lead him down the hill. Everyone was still getting ready, so they had time. She leads him to a secluded part of the river and begins to strip. Daryl rests his calloused hands on her bare hips, kissing down her neck.

"You're skin's so soft," He whispers as he runs his hands up her stomach and to her breasts. "These are so soft." Emily sighs and leans her head back against him. She liked when Daryl was rough, but sometimes she needs it soft and right now this was pure heaven.

"Take off your clothes." She whispers as she pulls away from him. She kicks her boots and socks off before starting on the buttons of her jeans. Daryl strips down to nothing and once they're both naked he walks into the water with her. "We don't have any soap, so it'll be harder to clean, but I'm sure you can manage to clean me up." She purs in his ear as his hands move over her body, rubbing the dirt off in the water. She pulls away and holds her breath before going under, scrubbing the dirt from her face before coming back up.

"Tilt your head back." Daryl whispers, his voice rough. She does as she is told and he begins to run his fingers through her hair, trying to get the dirt and sweat out of it. "You know, this hair could be the death of you."

"I ain't cutting it, darling." She turns back to face him. "I like you pulling it too much." She pulls his head down and kisses him, her hands moving over his body and scrubbing all the dirt, blood, and sweat off him. The water did feel good. It was cool against their heated skin. Daryl pulls away and goes under, doing the same as Emily. When he comes back up he runs a hand through his hair. She motions him to crouch down and tilt his head back. She begins pouring water onto his head and washing his hair clean. It was clean as they were going to get with the sun still burning hot and no soap on them.

"All clean."

"Let's fix that." He picks her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. He walks further back in the water until the water is up to his shoulders. He slides into her with ease, causing her to gasp.

"Make love to me, Daryl." She moans in his ear, causing his grip to tighten.

"I love you, Emily." She moves and kisses him. He thrusts his hip in a slow and easy pace. She kisses down his neck as his fingers run through her hair. "You're so beautiful." Her nails dig into his back, but he just groans in pleasure.

"I love you so much." She whispers as she rocks her hips against his, meeting him thrust for thrust. "Daryl." She whines as she feels herself getting close. She was still sensitive from just a few hours ago. Daryl picks up his speed, his fingers running up and down her spine. She gasps as she climaxes, her lips sucking on his pulse point, leaving what will become a large hickey. Daryl groans, spilling his own seed into her. It's a wonder how they only have one child from the amount of unprotective sex they have. Normally Daryl pulled out, but he loved the feeling of her milking his seed from him. He loves the idea of coating her walls.

The two take a moment to catch their breaths before washing up for another moment. They climbed back out, letting the warm harm dry them as much as possible before slipping on their clothes and shoes. Emily pulls her wet hair up into another bun before taking Daryl's hand and heading back to camp.

"Promise me you'll come back, Daryl." Emily whispers as they stand together.

"Bambi, I ain't gonna leave you." He whispers as he caresses her cheek. "I'm gonna come back to you. You and Jami both." Emily stares up at him.

"Daryl…" She hesitates as she runs her thumb over his bottom lip.

"What is it darling?"

"I want a baby." She whispers. She's been thinking about it since before the world went to shit and the idea of him going into the city and possibly getting hurt only made her want it even more. Daryl rests his forehead against hers.

"Baby, you know why we can't." He whispers. It's not safe anymore for babies.

"Can you bring back tests just in case?" She asks. Daryl pulls back and looks at her.

"You think you're pregnant?" When she was pregnant with Jami she knew before she even started feeling symptoms. If she's asking for tests then Daryl knows she's pregnant.

"I just want to make sure." He lets out a heavy breath.

"If you're asking then you already know, Bambi."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't put this on you when you're going to the city." He tilts her chin up.

"Don't, Bambi. Don't apologize. I'll get you some tests, okay?" She nods and he leans down, giving her gentle kiss. "I gotta go, but I promise I will be back and with those damn tests." She nods and kisses him back. "I love you."

"Love you more." He grins and gives her one last kiss before starting for Jami, who was resting against the shiny red car.

"Keep an eye on your, mama." Daryl orders, causing Jami to look up at him.

"Something wrong?"

"No, just don't like leaving her here without me."

"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe." Daryl nods.

"I know you will. I'll be back soon." He goes to leave, but Jami grabs Daryl's hand.

"Dad?"

"What?" Jami's thumb goes to his mouth, causing Daryl to look at him worried. Jami was a lot like his mother, but he still had some habits that he got from his father. The thumb biting was a nervous tick he got from Daryl. "What, kid?"

"Make sure not to kill Glenn. I rather keep the one friend that I have." Daryl chuckles.

"He'll come back fine."

"Go easy on him, yeah?" Daryl rolls his eyes and gives Jami a look. Jami just smiles, causing Daryl to smile back.

"I'll be back soon, kid."

"Be careful." Daryl nods moving and kissing his son's temple before getting into the van. He might be a Dixon and maybe he is some white trashed redneck, but he was a good father and a good husband and he'd be damn if he let anything happen to either of them. Over his dead body.


End file.
